


Conan's Misadventure

by Aquaria1234



Category: Persona 5, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: Adorable Kudou Shinichi | Edogawa Conan, Coffee Addict Kudou Shinichi | Edogawa Conan, Gen, Good Friend Mouri Ran, Kudou Shinichi | Edogawa Conan & Mouri Ran Friendship, Mouri Ran knows, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Protective Mouri Ran
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-16 08:56:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29573538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aquaria1234/pseuds/Aquaria1234
Summary: A lot of little oneshots (maybe) about our favorite shrunken detective.Maybe connected, maybe not. Lots of crossover shenanigans, and lots of fun!
Relationships: Kudou Shinichi | Edogawa Conan & Mouri Ran, Kudou Shinichi | Edogawa Conan & Original Character(s)
Kudos: 13





	1. In Which Ran Knows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ran has always known that Shinichi has extraordinarily bad luck, but for his luck to actually have him turn into an elementary child was completely unbelievable if she hadn't run into Shinichi a few hours later in his shrunken form still wearing his over sized clothing when they had gone out earlier.
> 
> Yet despite the drastic changes, Shinichi still continues his reckless way of being a detective, frustrating Ran. Why couldn't he just understand the position he's in?

Blue eyes glinted, and before the detective could run off with an excited grin, he was quickly impeded by two lean and very strong arms wrapped around his chest and lifted him high up the ground. With a yelp, he clung onto the arms. A scowl tugged at his lips, and looked up, he was met with an unimpressed blue look. 

"Shinichi," Ran whispered harshly, tightening her hold on the squirming child. "You can't just run around the crime scene. You're supposed to be a child, remember?"

"But- But- The answer is right there!" Shinichi scowled up at his childhood friend, kicking his feet and squirming in a silent demand to be put down. "Ran! Let me go already! I'm so close, just one more evidence and the true culprit will be revealed!"

Ran pursed her lips, then shook her head stubbornly. Then glancing to where her Father was speaking with the three culprits arguing their side of the story, Ran walked out to the patio of the victim's home and set Shinichi down. Shinichi would have dashed off as soon as his feet touched the ground, but seeing the stern look in Ran's eyes at the way she clamped her hand tightly onto his shoulder, he had no other choice but to stay where he was as he and Ran stared at eye-level. 

Ran let out a heavy sigh. 

"Shinichi, I know you want to help. I know this is practically your job. But you need to remember that you're not 16 anymore, that if they ever find out that you've been turned into a child of all things then... Then..."

At the reminder of _them_ , Shinichi wilted and he looked down at ground with a frustrated look. At the sight of his tiny sock-clad feet, his frustration spiked. 

It had only been a week since he had been shrunken into a kid, a week since he stumbled onto something he shouldn't have seen with those men in black, a week since he ran into Ran after escaping the police trying to help him once he regained consciousness in his confusion... And now here he was.

Living not as Shinichi Kudou, the Modern Holmes, the Detective of the East, the Savior of the Police Force, but now as Conan Edogawa, Shinichi's first cousin twice removed, very estranged from the Kudou family recently found, and freeloader of the Mouri Family while Shinichi was off on some big case abroad. 

He was a 6-year old elementary kid with a very intelligent mind, but still a kid none the less. As Shinichi Kudou, he had the strength, endurance, speed, even the influence and trust he built with the police and the authority he had built since he was young and because he was the son of Yusaku. 

As Conan Edogawa, he had none of these. 

He was completely helpless in this form. 

Seeing Shinichi look so downtrodden and upset, Ran couldn't help but feel guilty at her words but... She made the mistake of letting Shinichi go the last time when her instincts told her not to let him go, that something bad was going to happen. It was her fault for letting him go and just watched as he ran off with that stupid, carefree and smug smile on his face as he headed off to be a hero again. It was her fault that Shinichi became a child, and his life was still in danger. If those men who did this to Shinichi ever found that that they failed to kill Shinichi, they may come back and.. And do something even worst to him, especially since whatever they did turned him into a child. 

She wasn't going to make the same mistake again. 

"...But I can't leave this alone..." Shinichi muttered petulantly, peering up at Ran through the large lens that once belonged to his Father. "I refuse to let the truth get away! Not when it's so close... If we don't reveal the truth, then they'll get away, and the evidence will be gone. I won't allow this to happen!"

Ran and Shinichi stared at each other, both stubborn on their stances. 

Honestly, it would be so easy for Ran to pick up her friend and force him back home while she let her Dad and the police force to deal with this. Shinichi would definitely be mad at her for a few days, maybe hold this against her forever, but she knew that he would eventually forgive him, if a bit begrudgingly with a lot of lemon pie and his favorite brand of coffee as a bribe.

But she couldn't stop him for long. Despite being a kid, corpses were still attracted to him like a fly to honey, maybe even more so than before! Sooner or later, she bet that in a day if not in a few more hours, Shinichi would be wrapped up in another murder case.

The last week had been kind to them with just a few petty thief cases and two kidnapper almost turned murder cases while Shinichi settled into his new role as Conan Edogawa. Apparently the grace time to settle in was gone and these homicide cases were coming in with a vengeance. Now her Dad was being flooded with more cases than ever before ever since Shinichi started staying with them, and if Ran didn't keep an eye on her friend he would have long since disappeared knee-deep into a case and getting into trouble. 

Still, Ran couldn't be by his side all the time. 

She had her own life to live, and from the way things were going, Shinichi was going on his own way, again, to some unknown dangers where she probably couldn't follow. 

All Ran could do was keep him safe as much as possible while she was with him. 

"...I understand Shinichi, but I'm just worried..." Ran said softly, looking at Shinichi with sad eyes. The shrunken detective flinched, guilt welling up at the sight of her shiny eyes. "I know I can't stop you, but you need to remember that you're 6 years old. Why don't you... Why don't you try and help my Dad instead of doing things yourself."

"...Help him?"

"Wouldn't it be better for you two like this? Dad will get more jobs, and you'll be able to do your job if somewhat in the background!" Ran smiled hopefully at Shinichi who looked thought about this plan. "You don't need to personally be apart of the investigation. You can... You can be like his little helper!"

"More like he'll be my helper..." Shinichi scowled, but then gave a deep sigh and nodded in agreement. "But... Fine, if it'll make you happy. I'll... Try being the helper once in a while..."

Ran smiled brightly. 

* * *

"Shi... Shinichi?!"

"...R-Ran?"

Ran stared wide-eyed in shock at her dazed friend, who instead was 16-years old as she last saw him as was now a 6-year old boy. 

After Shinichi had run off so suddenly to chase down something suspicious right after the roller coaster incident, Ran didn't immediately head home as he had demanded her to. She was still feeling ill from that gruesome murder just an hour ago, and her stomach felt heavy ever since Shinichi ran off into that shady alleyway alone, waving at her with that smug, carefree smile that he would be back soon. Despite his quick reassurance, Ran couldn't bring it in herself to believe him. 

And so that lead her to just wander around for just a little bit to relax before she headed home. She could take care of herself just fine, she was a martial arts master. She didn't go through rigorous training just to get physically assaulted by creeps. 

Then on her way to Shinichi's home to check on that idiot and to see if she needed to call the police, she came across a child. 

Maternal instincts and concern instantly grabbed at her at the sight of a lost looking and lonely child traversing deep into the night, stumbling around. Then when the child tripped and made a high pitch cry, Ran instantly surged forward to help the poor child up. 

"Oh my gosh! Are you okay?" 

For some reason the child wore clothing much too large for their small and thin body. The child was slightly muddy, and Ran gasped when she saw a thin line of dried blood on the side of his face. She tried speaking to the child, but no matter what she asked the child wouldn't answer back. Was it the head wound?

"Okay hold on, I'm going to take you to the hospital right now-" Ran reached to pick up the child, but when their face lifted up Ran made another gasp.

The face of 6-year old Shinichi Kudou stared back at her, looking very dazed but a flicker of familiarity pass through his glazed blue eyes. 

After that shocking reveal, Ran found herself carrying the dazed and shrunken detective as she rushed over to Agasa-Hakase to find answers for Shinichi's new form. As well as to do something about his head wound. 

It took a while to convince Agasa-Hakase of Shinichi's rather unbelievable situation, but with Shinichi mumbling out what had happen as well as a great deduction that only Shinichi could do, they easily swayed Agasa to their side. And that solidified Ran's conclusion that this child could be none other than her childhood friend. Still, hearing what had happened and how he had turned into a child shocked and scared Ran. 

To think she had been so close to losing Shinichi just because he had been so reckless... 

"Ran..." Looking at the face of her shrunken friend, Shinichi gave her a small and exhausted smile. "I'm okay... Really. See, I'm still here aren't I?"

Looking at Shinichi's earnest face, Ran gave him a watery smile. 

Though as true as it was... It didn't change the fact that things were going to be so drastically different from now on. Still, Shinichi was still trying to act as if everything was okay. Sliding down from the couch from where he had been forced to stay on for the whole duration, Shinichi said that he was going to go back to his house, promising that by tomorrow everything was going to be okay... But Ran had other ideas. 

"H-Hey Ran!" Shinichi yelped when skinny but strong arms grabbed wrapped around his waist and lifted him a few feet off the ground. Craning his neck to look at the stern looking girl, Shinichi scowled. "What are you doing?!"

"You can't go back home Shinichi!" Ran scolded, "What if those men in black come back and check your house to see if you're alive?!"

Shinichi looked startled at that admission, then he looked down, dispirited and contemplative as he thought about his next move. "Then... Hm... I guess I'll have to find a place to lay low for a while... I can stay in a motel for a while or something until I figure out what I need to do. I definitely have to call my parents... If they pick up my calls that is..."

"Why don't you stay with me?"

"H-Huh?" "Ran-kun?"

Shinichi and Agasa-Hakase looked at the young woman in surprise. Ran simply huffed, and placing her hands on her hips she looked down at Shinichi who looked up at her in surprise. But then his own face turned stern, and Ran had to hold herself back from squealing. Shinichi was just too cute at this age, especially when he tried pretending to be an adult.

"No way!" Shinichi argued, shaking his head stubbornly. "That's way to dangerous Ran!"

"And I'm insisting you stay with me for the night."

"But what if I get my body back by the next morning? If those men in black are looking for me, the Mouri Agency will be the next place they'll look! They'll find out I'm still alive, and you and Kogoro-Ojisan will be dragged into my mess. That is the last thing I want to happen!"

"And if something happens to you while you're by yourself? Face it Shinichi, you can't do anything in this form!"

Shinichi flinched, and his scowl deepened. "That's a low blow there Ran..."

"And it's the absolute truth." Ran and Shinichi stared each other down for a long while, with the Hakase looking between them nervously. Then with a smile, Ran said with an absolute finality tone. "You're staying with me."

Shinichi glared, ready to fight to get his way. 

...

To the surprise of nobody, he lost. 

* * *

"I hate this body..." Shinichi yawned, slumping on the couch all dramatically with a hand thrown over his eyes. "I'm so tired..."

Ran was feeling exhausted herself too, having run around with her Dad and Shinichi for a murder case, but there really was no doubt that Shinichi was completely worn out. Even in his adult-form, Shinichi lagged just behind her when it came to physical activities. He may have had soccer to help him with his speed, but Ran had martial arts to better protect and better discipline herself. 

While Kogoro snored merrily away into dreamland on the other couch, already having his fill of dinner and beer, Ran sat next to Shinichi with a cup of tea for the two of them. Shinichi grumbled about wanting coffee, but made no other complaints. He had to admit, ever since he started living with the Mouri Family he had been eating better, despite Ran's constant fretting that he was still way too light. She was just too strong for her own good. 

"Hey Shinichi?"

"Hm?"

"What... What would you have done if I've never found out?"

Shinichi paused. Then lowering his steaming mug, her friend tilted his head in thought. Then he shrugged. 

"Who knows, probably stupid. Maybe live a double life or something?"

"Aren't you doing that now?" Ran asked in amusement. 

"Yeah, but..." Shinichi frowned, then gave a small sigh. Then almost shyly, he glanced at Ran. "But... You wouldn't know, and I'd be doing this all alone. You'd probably try and treat me more like a kid, and you'll probably cry a lot more like the cry baby you are because I'm keeping secrets from you and not telling you anything at all." Quickly Shinichi moved back just in time as Ran tried to pinch his cheek to reprimand him for that old insult and poked his tongue out at her childishly. Then his face grew serious again as he sighed, looking away with a small blush. "And I'd I'd be all alone in this problem. I'd have Hakase on my side but... I'd probably go crazy without you here by my side. Maybe I'd try to freeload off of you and Kogoro-jisan anyway. You always said that I sometimes do stupid things when I get all worried..."

Shinichi fully expected for Ran to make fun of him for his sentiments, but he didn't expect for Ran to suddenly pull him into a tight hug, crushing all the air out of his lungs. He also blushed as red as a tomato when her chest was fully pressed against his face. He struggled. 

"Ran- Off! Can't- Can't breathe-"

Shinichi struggled for a bit, trying to push the other off while keep an eye on the snoring Kogoro on the side, but finally Ran let go. Breathing in deeply, he was about to scold her until he saw her smiling at him, tears shining in her eyes. Huffing silently, Shinichi looked away. 

"...Crybaby."

"Mystery Freak." She teased back. 

The two were silent as they finished the rest of their cooling tea, just enjoying the quiet nights. Except for Kogoro's snoring, but even then the two found some kind of peace with it. Ran then had a thought, and smiled at Shinichi who eyed her suspiciously. 

"You know that guy from Osaka, Hattori-kun?"

"That weird guy that gave me alcohol... What about him?"

"I think you two would get along very well!"

At this Shinichi scowled. "In what world would we ever get along?!"

"It's true that Hattori-kun can be a little hot-headed at times, and he really should have known better than to give a kid alcohol..." Ran admitted, but smiled brightly. "But you two are detectives, teen detectives in fact! He's the Detective from the West, and you're the Detective from the East! Why wouldn't you two get along?"

"Just because we're detectives does not mean we will ever get along!" The shrunken detective complained, huffing in annoyance. "He got interesting when I found out that he actually has a brain... But he's way too hot-headed! And he looks like the type of person who doesn't know how to shut his mouth when he finds out about something. And he's annoying. There's no way we can ever be friends."

Ran hummed, "Interest often leads to friendship you know. I just have a feeling you and Hattori-kun will get along very well!"

"Tch, as if that'll ever happen..."

Shinichi would absolutely ignore the smug look Ran gave him when Hattori eventually found out about his identity and the two started working close on cases. He would absolutely not give Ran the satisfaction of her instincts being right once again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Shinichi/Conan, and I also absolutely love Ran. They are both awesome in their own rights. 
> 
> However, I've always had a problem of them being a couple. They're cute and all, but I can't stop cringing whenever there's an episode of their romantic relationship. The ending (if it ever comes) would absolutely be worth it which I have no doubts, but right now I just can't. Their relationship is the ultimate slow burn that I just can't handle. 
> 
> Also, I like seeing them more in a sibling relationship then in a romantic relationship. Mostly because of the Conan and Ran interactions, but I'm standing by my point.


	2. Ryoko Igirashi ; The Dragon of Tokyo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is a terrifying woman in the homicidal division that almost every law enforcement member knew of. She was infamous for her fierce attitude, her relentless work ethic, and her genius and exceptional mind when taking down serial killers. 
> 
> Conan has definitely heard of her, but never would he have thought that she would know of him, as Conan Edogawa, in return. 
> 
> And never did he realize just how much more intimidating the woman was in person.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Ran knows that Conan and Shinichi are the same person
> 
> *Because Ran knows, she does not approve of Conan/Shinichi using a tranquilizer dart to knock her Dad out everything he needed a mouth piece for his deductions. So instead, Conan/Shinichi is forced to be very creative to lead Kogoro towards the right deduction to capture to real culprit. 
> 
> *Kogoro's nickname is now Lucky Kogoro. 

BANG

"EEEEK!"

"Oh my God- He's dead! That guy's actually dead!"

"Someone call the police!"

As soon as that familiar cacophony of shocked chaos started, Conan's body automatically went into action as he ran towards the crime scene, Kogoro-jiisan and Ran following just a minute later. 

Entering the scene of the crime, his sharp blue eyes quickly took note of everything around him as he studied the dead body. 

Victim; Middle-aged man with bits of whitening hair, glasses knocked off and somewhat crushed under his elbow, cause of death a bullet right through the head.

Possible suspects; A Gothic looking woman with many piercings and a rather eye-catching pink hair color who stared at the man who a slightly vindictive look, a middle-aged man wearing sweat clothes who stared with a blank look, and a young pale man around college-age carrying a yapping, fluffy dog struggling to get down from his scrawny arms who tried hard not to look at the man. A weary looking woman who looked as if she hadn't gotten any sleep in a long time stared at the man sadly. Then finally an elderly man who stared at the corpse with shock. 

The weapon wasn't anywhere is sight, no doubt then it was still on the suspect's person. But when he glanced at the body again, he paused in confusion when he took a second glance at the bullet wound.

Conan came closer, frowning in thought. Just as he was about to verify his thoughts and suspicious, a hand grabbed the back of his collar, yanked him away and up high into the air. Conan kicked his feet into the air in panic, trying to push back his annoyance at being, once again, impeded of his investigation. 

"H-Hey! Ojisan-"

".10 caliber bullets." A voice that definitely did not belong to Kogoro spoke, making Conan freeze. "It must be a really unique firearm, very small, inconspicuous, and very creative. Could even be mistaken as a toy. You definitely do bring the most unique situations, Conan Edogawa."

When he was finally let down, or more like pushed into the waiting arms of Ran who held him close, Conan turned to the stranger who sounded as if she knew a lot about them. Conan froze when he somewhat recognized the woman standing proudly before them. 

The woman before them was very beautiful. With deep black hair that flowed to her mid-back, which she was pulling back into a ponytail with a black hair tie. She wore a simple white button up that didn't hide her lean muscles or her well-endowed chest, nor did her black slacks hide that she had shapely legs that showed that she was the type of person who was active and always running around. She was no longer looking directly at them, instead her dark brown eyes swept across the suspects who froze at her look, even the yapping dog had stopped its bark and was currently trying to hide away by burrowing its muzzle into its owners crooked arms. The aura she let out was calm and confident, but also had an air of great authority that you just had to stop and listen to her, no matter what. 

Pulling out a pair of gloves from her pocket and striding over to the body, the air was completely silent as all eyes were on the mysterious woman systematically. Without feeling or sympathy as she handled the body as if it were an object, careful to not make much a mess for the police to get here...

Though if Conan was right, by the time the police was going to be here, the case would have long been solved and the suspect handcuffed and in tears or terrified for their life, or possibly both. 

If he was right...

Then this had to be Ryoko Igirashi, the Dragon of Tokyo. Tokyo's Protector. The Serial Murderers' Worst Nightmare. 

A terrifying woman who worked in Division 1, favoring specifically towards serial killer cases. She had been in the force for nearly 20 years now, but that was enough time for her to build her well-earned reputation. 

A woman who chased down murderers, more specifically serial killers with such intense fervor to the point as if she was possessed. She was a complete force of nature to be reckoned with who often got her way, but no one could really complain about it since she did her job so thoroughly and presented every evidence that no one could really question her ways. Not even the murderers themselves, knowing that they've been caught. 

Almost every law enforcer in Tokyo should know who this woman was...

"Um... Who are you?"

Of course, it seemed not every law enforcer was aware of who the Dragon of Tokyo was. Even though Kogoro was an ex-police officer...

The ravenette didn't answer Kogoro's answer, inspecting the body a little more until she was satisfied. Standing up, she turned cold dark eyes towards the Mouri Family and Conan, who couldn't help but freeze under her cold look. 

Was it just them, or did the air suddenly get much colder...?

"Ryoko Igirashi, Division one officer. I just so happened to be passing by when I heard trouble, and as a police officer of course I need to make sure the situation in hand didn't go out of control. But for a murder to happen so brazenly out on broad daylight, truly what a cocky murderer..." Ryoko muttered the last part herself, shaking her head. She turned her attention back to the trio. "Anyhow, Kogoro-San you are not needed here. You nor your little assistant. I do not like children in my crime scene. So take your daughter and Edogawa-San to the buffet, I hear that today’s special is really good."

"H-How did you know we were going to a restaurant?" Ran gasped in shock. 

"The restaurant's voucher are poking out of your pocket, Mouri-San. I suggest you keep them safe. After all, they really do have good food. Now if you excuse me, I shall deal with this case."

"Ah, but- Allow me to help! I am a famous detective after all, I am Lucky Kogo-"

Kogoro tried to protest, but one cold look from Ryoko, and he froze up. Gulping heavily, Kogoro nodded stiffly and turned towards Ran and Conan. 

"W-Well! You heard the nice dragon woman! We should hurry and get to the restaurant before it closes!"

"Ah- Wait!"

Conan tried to protest, but the old man was already pushing them away from the crime scene. Looking over Ran's shoulder, Conan tensed when he met with the cold dark eyes that could only belong to the Dragon of Tokyo. Her eyes stared right down into his soul, piercing and knowing, as if she knew every little secret he was hiding.

Conan's throat dried, his voice lost as he couldn't find another reason to protest. And even if he did, he just knew that Ryoko would just get in his way. So turning away from her intense eyes, he scowled to himself. 

* * *

It would not be the last time that Conan would meet with Ryoko Igirashi. In fact... It was a start to their grudging relationship. 

"Troublesome kid," Ryoko gave a deep sigh, massaging her temples. Not too far from them was another cooling corpse, taunting Conan to come and find out their secrets. But once again, Ryoko held Conan by his collar, making sure to grip tightly as the kid complained and kicked his feet into the air. "Kids should not be hanging around in a damn crime scene. Now shoo, get out of here and just enjoy your day."

And with that Conan was booted out of the crime scene.

He would have tried to go back in, but he was always pulled away by someone. Whether by the Mouris or the Shounen Tantei who all feared the Dragon, Conan never had the chance to find out what happened until he actively searched on the news the next day about the Dragon's success. 

Of course that never stopped Conan from doing what he believed was right. Luckily Ryoko couldn't be in every crime scene that Conan was pulled into, unfortunately for some reason fate was adamant on bringing them together every so often. 

"Kid, where is Mouri-San?" Ryoko asked, tone exasperated as she stared down at Conan dangling limply from her hold. 

Conan twitched in annoyance, but then his lips pulled into an innocent smile. "Saa... Ran-nee-chan had to stay over school for her club, and Kogoro-ojii-san is probably off at pachinko again. So I'm just by myself today, obaa-san~"

Whether Ryoko was annoyed by being called an old lady or she didn't care at all, she kept a good poker face, not betraying any kind of reaction to his provocation. Instead she was looking around, as if trying to find someone to dump Conan on and to bring him home, because she knew that telling him wouldn't be enough to send him home. When she didn't, Ryoko gave a deep sigh. She then started walking over to one of the police squad car after demanding one of the keys from a startled police officer. 

She then proceeded to place him on the back seat of the police car, then rifling through her purse she pulled out two water bottles and several packages of honey buns to place next to Conan, opened the window halfway, and even strapped him in with the seat belt!

Firmly closing the door, Ryoko gazed down at Conan with a stern look. "You stay there. After I solve this, I'm taking you straight back to your home. And after that I'm going to find that Mouri-San and make sure he knows that he should never leave a child alone as he did. Especially for something like pachinko of all things." A cold shiver went down Conan's spine at the rather ominous tone Ryoko used and the dark aura surrounding the woman. For a brief moment he felt pity for the old man. 

Conan waited for a few minutes, peering out of the window to make sure that Ryoko was too distracted by the crime scene and talking to the witness. After 14 minutes passed by, he quickly slipped unbuckled himself and slowly cracked open the opposite door, knowing that the Dragon couldn't see him leaving from there. Before his foot could even though the cement floor, when he looked up, he froze when Ryoko magically appeared right in front of him proving his thoughts wrong.

Arms crossed, brow cocked, and eyes daring him to just take a step out. Ryoko looked every inch a testy Mother just waiting for him to make the wrong move. 

Conan meekly returned, closing the door and buckling himself back in. He would then watch Ryoko turn around and walk primly back to the crime scene, returning back to her work as if that never happened. 

The shrunken detective tried several more times, but each escape was always foiled by Ryoko who must have eyes on the back of her head to know his every movement even with her back turned. There was no other explanation of how she knew of Conan's every movement or his attempts to escape. After the 5th attempted escape, Conan had no choice but to give up completely and wait inside the back of the police car for Ryoko to finish this case. He had to control his urge to look out the window, and he especially had to control his childish urge to kick the back of the seat in his anger. 

'This is not fair!' Conan scowled in his mind, slumped in his seat and arms crossed petulantly. 'She knows who I am! Why won't she let me help in the crime scene? Even Kogoro-Ojii-San and even Megure-Keibu lets me help if I'm careful. She can't treat me like a child!'

As soon as that thought came through his mind, Conan's bad mood worsened. Of course Ryoko was treating him like a child, because he looked like a child. 

It still wasn't fair though...

Stewing in his thoughts, Conan eventually started to nod off. Especially from the boredom of just sitting in a car with nothing to entertain him, what felt like minutes stretched into long hours. It also didn't help that it was a rather sunny day, warming the interior of the car, and enveloping Conan's small body with a gentle heat. Giving a small yawn and rubbing his eyes, Conan decided that maybe a small nap wouldn't be too bad...

* * *

Ryoko watched coldly as the sobbing criminal was lead away with handcuffs into the back of a police car. 

Though she didn't show it outwardly, her heart did ache for the poor woman who just had to choose revenge over everything she could have done. To choose to stain her hands red, to cast herself into the most deplorable act a human could do to another. Despite any of her reasoning or so-called logic, it would never excuse the fact that she took another human life. Even if the life she took was just another scum in this world. 

This was why Ryoko dealt with serial killers. With serial killers, it was harder to empathize with them. To be more on board with their psychotic reasoning for killing. Ryoko could do her job without doubting herself. 

As the police wrapped up the crime scene and asked the witnesses to come down to the police station to give their statement, Ryoko headed towards the police car where Conan was no doubt waiting for her with irritation. She knew the child just wanted to help, that for some reason the crime scene called out to him in particular, but out of good conscience she couldn't allow a child to run around in such a violent scene. She didn't care how intelligent he was or how used he was to a crime scene, that just made it more of a reason to not bring Conan into a crime scene. 

That boy saw far too much violence and death in his age, something no child should be burdened with. 

She couldn't get it through that damn Yusaku Kudou's head not to bring his child to the crime scene a decade or so ago (idly she wondered what happened to Shinichi Kudou, last she heard of the Savior of the Police he was abroad solving a very sensitive case that not even she had access to). Despite her arguments, Yusaku would always reassure her that Shinichi was a strong-willed boy, that he would be fine. As much as Ryoko respected Yusaku's intelligence and his deduction skills, he was far too lenient with his child. 

Yusaku Kudou may be a consultant and a mystery author, but he wasn't a full-time detective. He didn't see the build up of burden that his son was carrying on his shoulders the further in he went with his detective career. Especially when he and his wife left their son 3 years ago to move to America, leaving him by his lonesome at the young age at 13. 

Sometimes, she couldn't help but curse the Kudou couple for overestimating their son, for leaving him behind so young. To her, it was as if they were taking for granted of what they were blessed with...

God knows she...

...Anyway, whatever the case with Shinichi Kudou and his parents. She wasn't going to let Conan be left to the same fate as Shinichi Kudou. She didn't want to see the same slouched shoulders she would sometimes see on young Shinichi's shoulders, she didn't want to see the look of desolation or the exhaustion on his face when he thought no one was looking. 

Conan may despise her for this, but she was doing this out of concern and for his own mental health as someone who knew just how burdensome being a detective could be. Especially when it came to homicide. 

"Sorry for the wait kid, the case took a little longer to wrap up then I thought." Ryoko apologized, peering into the back of the car where Conan was waiting for. She paused when she saw the precocious child fast asleep, snoring softly and smacking his lips. Her eyes softened. 

Removing her coat, she carefully tucked Conan in, careful not to jostle him too much. Unfortunately Conan was a much lighter sleeper than she thought when he twitched when she accidentally brushed her hands against his rosy cheeks. 

"Mm... W-Wha-?"

"Ssh..." Ryoko fondly carded her fingers through his soft hair, feeling nostalgic as old habits filled her actions. "Just go back to sleep Conan-kun. You had a busy day today, I'm going to take you home now. Alright?"

Conan didn't answer, but he did accept her touch as his eyes fluttered shut again. Once Ryoko knew that he was fast asleep again, she continued shifting him until he looked much more comfortable in his position. Though she stayed a little while longer in this position, watching Conan's face curiously and fondly. She'd almost forgotten what it was like to care for a child...

At that thought, Ryoko shook her head and reluctantly pulled her hands away. One last check on Conan, she quickly climbed onto the driver's seat and started on her way back to Beika City. 

* * *

"Shinichi... Wake up."

At Ran's voice, Conan pursed his lips and grumbled, grudging to wake up any time soon. He tried to bury himself further into the blanket, but Ran just laughed and tried waking him up again. 

"Come on Shinichi... It's dinner time!"

"H-Huh?" Now more awake, Conan looked up to see Ran smiling down at him. When he looked at the time, he saw that it was indeed time for dinner, and that it was now dark outside. Conan blinked in confusion and shock. "What but... The last thing I remember was... Wasn't I with Igirashi-San?"

Ran nodded, "You were. You were wrapped up in another case that Igirashi-San helped! Then you fell asleep, and she brought you back home here. Wasn't that kind of her? She even brought Tou-San home from the pachinko parlor and scared him from not drinking anymore for the rest of the night! Though I don't know how long that will last, I don't think Tou-San will be drinking for this night."

"..."

Conan sweatdropped. He was glad that he was asleep when Ryoko no doubt dragged Kogoro back here with just her scary tone alone, and gave him the evil eye that would stop him from drinking for the night. But still...

He couldn't help but touch his head gently, remembering the feeling of fingers carding through his hair so gently. He couldn't remember the last time someone had done that for him, even as an adult where he didn't dare let anyone touch him out of embarrassment, or as a child who was just too wary of anyone touching him. The last time he had felt this kind of comforting touch was back when he had actually been a child and his Kaa-San coddled him like a teddy bear. 

It was... Really nice.

"Shinichi?"

"Sorry," Conan apologized, standing up. "I was just thinking."

Ran laughed. "You wouldn't be Shinichi if you weren't constantly thinking about something. Anyway, you can't think on an empty stomach right? Let's eat! Igirashi-San told me a new recipe I wanted to try, and I just know you will like it!" 


	3. Crossing Into LeBlanc

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kogoro-Ojii-San was definitely going to get it now, Conan thought with irritation as he glared at his phone that failed to reach the old man. It may be childish of him, but he was so definitely going to snitch on him to Ran. After all, child or not, you do not leave someone on their own after dragging them out to some unknown part of Tokyo, and not come back for them. Maybe he should call Ryoko Igirashi to give him a piece of her mind. 
> 
> Stomach growling, the shrunken detective decided that he couldn't think of a good revenge on an empty stomach. He looked around. 
> 
> Yongen-Jaya huh?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Ran knows that Shinichi and Conan are the same people
> 
> *Kogoro is called Lucky Kogoro

From the looks of it, Yongen-Jaya is one of the many residential districts in Tokyo. The streets were very crowded and much too narrow for his comfort, but fortunately for him there weren't many people traversing the streets.

Hands inside his pocket, Conan quickened his pace as he looked around for a place to eat. He passed by what looked like an old movie theater currently closed. He saw the grocery store open, but he didn't fancy himself to buy something from there, hungering for something fresh and hot. Then passing what looked like some old electronic store, he turned a corner.

He paused when he smelled something delicious wafting through the air.

His stomach growled in response.

Coming closer to the store where the delicious scent was coming from, the shrunken detective studied the plain looking store. There wasn't anything special about this cafe. It was pretty much something you would pass by without another look. Especially since it was in an alleyway away from where most people would miss the small, plain cafe. And yet...

There was just something about this place that called out to Conan.

Well, it wasn't as if he could be picky right now. And besides...

Craning his head up higher, he couldn't stop the grin from rising as he read the name of this cafe. 

Coffee&Curry, Leblanc.

His eyes were especially drawn to the word coffee. When was the last time he had coffee anyway? Ran was adamant of him not getting his fill of coffee, with him being a minor and all that, but Conan just knew that she was using his new age as an excuse to curb his admittedly . Ran had even went as far as to tell Poirot's employee, Asuza Enomoto, not to serve Conan any coffee under any circumstances. Even if he threw a a tantrum or tried giving her the puppy dog eyes.

(On that record, he has never thrown a tantrum before. Maybe he was guilty of the puppy dog eyes, but never a tantrum.)

His stomach gave another growl.

Then without any ado, Conan entered the cafe. Instantly the small bell rung above him gently signalling his arrival, and the strong combo of curry and rich coffee surrounded him, making his stomach gnaw with want.

"Welcome... Uh..." The man behind the counter looked at Conan, surprise flashing through his eyes. Though quickly he regained his composure, even as he gave Conan a strange look. "Welcome to Cafe Leblanc... Is it just you?"

Conan nodded.

Climbing onto the stools near the counter, he looked up and smiled innocently at the barista. "Do you have ice coffee?"

"Y-Yes, we do. Is that all?"

"One plate of your signature curry too, please!"

The man nodded and quickly set off to getting his order done. As that was happening Conan took a look around the peaceful and quiet cafe, enjoying the homey ambiance the cafe was giving off. It just gave off a feeling that had Conan relaxing, the stress of suddenly being abandoned in an unfamiliar part of Tokyo seeping out of him like steam. And as his stress left, he felt exhaustion fill his body. He couldn't help but give a small yawn as he rubbed his eyes, pushing his glasses up to do so. 

He jolted when a tall glass of iced coffee was placed right in front of him. 

Thanking the old man with a bright smile, Conan felt his mouth practically salivate at sweet salvation. When was the last time had he been able to drink his precious coffee anyway?

Sipping on the bright straw eagerly, Conan nearly let out a sigh of relief as the familiar rich and strong taste of coffee touched his taste buds. It was a little too sweet for his taste, but he couldn't complain about it, much. He had his coffee. He was completely satisfied with life now. 

Leblanc, huh? 

This place was just an hour travel by train here. Ran didn't know about this place. The cafe sold good coffee, and Conan was going to try every coffee bean Leblanc had to offer, and the curry- As soon as it came- smelled so good that Conan instantly dug in. It was the best damn curry he ever had the pleasure of trying. 

He was so going to come here again. 

* * *

"I'm glad you've taken to the shop's specialty, but uh...." Sojiro Sakura, or Boss as Conan had taken to calling him, scratched the back of his neck and looked down at his youngest regular with exasperation. "Take it easy on the coffee, will you? This is your 4th one... I'm going to have to cap you if you keep drinking so much."

Conan pouted at the threat, but did start sipping his coffee slower. Even if the Boss limited him, as long as the Boss didn't ban him then he was fine with the limitation. He needed his fix, damn it!

He felt guilty about hiding this from Ran when he knew she was just trying to stop him for his own good... But that was before Ran patted his head like a kid, told him how proud she was of him (and he knew that Ran wasn't trying to sound demeaning, but she definitely sounded like one at that moment), and promised to make lemon pie. 

He was mostly doing this in spite of her. 

As Conan finished the last of his curry and took his time drinking the last drops of his ambrosia, the bell rung as the door swung open. He took a quick glance. 

Just entering was a tall young man with fluffy dark hair and wearing what looked like a school uniform that looked vaguely familiar. He was carrying a bag, and peeking out of it- Was that a cat? He watched the cat quickly hide back into the bag as soon as their eyes met. Conan couldn't help but be curious. He had never met a cat who had such intense blue and intelligent eyes before. Soon, his eyes met with curious dark eyes peering through wide-lenses. 

They stared at each other. 

"Ah, you're back early." Sojiro said gruffly, his tone taking a more harder and serious tone, not that the other seemed to mind as he nodded back. "Since you're here, you can help me with the dishes. Leave your cat upstairs first."

Another nod, and the teen started heading upstairs. 

Looking at the time, Conan widened his eyes to see that more time had passed than he had expected. Quickly devouring the last of his curry and, with slight disappointment, finished the last of his god-given coffee. 

"Thank you for the food Boss! I'm going to head home now."

"Alright. Take care now, you hear? I have no idea what the hell is going on with these mental shutdowns, but watch yourself out there."

Ah yes, the arising mental shutdowns that was leaving everyone uneasy. Fortunately there were no mental shutdowns in Beika yet, but with the rising cases and how they were spreading slowly out to the rest of Japan, eventually trouble was going to come to Beika City. It was an interesting case, but there was no leads, and as interested as the shrunken detective was, there wasn't much he could do about it with no leads, no suspects, or what even set off these mental shutdown. Not only that, he had other things to be more worried about. 

His other reason for coming to Yongen-Jaya. 

Ojii-San's incomplete hypothesis.

* * *

"...Is... Boss not here?" Conan asked the silent teen after staring at the other since entering the last 3 minutes. When the teen, quietly introducing himself as Akira Kurusu, shook his head, the other sighed. While he preferred the Boss making his food and his coffee, anything to get his fix, and to get something in his stomach, he'll just have to settle for second best. "Ice coffee and curry please."

The other nodded and turned away as he worked on his order. As that happened, Conan pulled out his notebook and a pencil and continued his work on his investigation. 

As he had expected, the man that Kogoro-Ojii-San had so foolishly written off as one of the suspects definitely had to be the one. It was obvious in retrospect, but the suspect in question was just too good at playing the nice guy and hiding evidence. But if he was right about his deduction, then the evidence should still be on his person. Even now. 

But damn it, he couldn't get close enough to the suspect. The suspect knew who he was, and the man was smart enough to keep his guard up even around a child. If Conan wanted Kogoro-Ojii-San to solve this case and not dart him with a tranquilizer dart, he would not only have to convince Ojii-San to come and question the true suspect, he also had to make sure that the suspect had the evidence on him. If not, then all his efforts would be naught, he would lose some credibility with Ojii-San, and the suspect would get away. He had to do this right!

"Ugh!" Conan muffled his scream, tugging his hair. "What am I going to do...?!"

"Are you okay?"

At that quiet voice, Conan snapped his head up where the teen stared at him in concern. Conan blushed. He had forgotten he was in Leblanc... It seems he got a little too comfortable in this place to just snap as he did. He smiled innocently. 

"It's nothing nii-San! I was just thinking about a hard riddle!" He chirped, before his eyes were instantly drawn on the glass of ice coffee in Akira's hands. "Oh! Is that my iced coffee nii-san?"

A silent nod and he placed the iced coffee in front of Conan. "I'll go get your curry."

"Thank you nii-san!"

As soon as the teen turned his back, Conan slumped his shoulders and gave a small sigh. He really needed to watch himself. Anyway, he'll have to figure out a plan of attack for later. Right now was more pressing matters...

The iced-coffee. 

Conan studied the iced coffee in front of him. Then dragging it closer he studied it critically. The consistency was good, though the color was a little darker than what the Boss would make. And from a small sniff, he didn't smell anything strange about it. Finally, he took a small sip. Conan's eyes instantly lighted up, and before he could even stop himself he started to greedily swallowed the coffee as if he was a thirst man. 

'This is even better than the boss' coffee!' Conan thought in disbelief. 'Boss always made the coffee too sweet, but I can only taste a slight hint of the sweetness now! It's so much more smoother, and it taste so much more coffee!'

"...Cute..." The teen smiled, happy to see the way the child's eyes lightened up as he gulped down the drink. "I know it might not be sweet as the Boss made it, but this was the best I could without adding too much sweet... Boss said that you really like iced coffee, I'll try to the next the next batch sweeter-"

"No!" At his outburst, Conan blushed. But he continued holding onto his glass protectively, inching closer to him. "N-No, that's okay. This is perfect, really. Just- Keep it like this... Please... Um... Where's my curry?"

"I'll go get it."

At the teen turned and went to get his order, Conan just sighed to himself and covered his slightly reddened face. He was seriously letting himself go at this place... But he couldn't help it! There was just something about this place that made Conan forget that... He was currently Conan. 

This was a dangerous place... But he really liked it here.

Despite his near character-break, he was going to keep coming back here. He just had to watch himself. 

'Shouldn't be too hard.' Conan thought, idly sipping his drink. 'I'm just here for the coffee and curry, I'm not here for anything else...'


End file.
